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Effective Internet Marketing requires that you reach out to your targeted audience. But what if your targeted audience is defined by location? If you offer a locally-based service (you're a general contractor or a daycare provider, for example) then you don't want to focus on reaching a worldwide audience now, do you? Believe it or not, online marketing is not limited to a global audience. Though the examples we provide below are primarily U.S.-based, anyone can find similar examples worldwide to suit their locale. ONLINE Let's start by giving you some examples of how to market your web site regionally using the Internet itself: Get listed in Regional Specific Directories and Search Engines like: Yahoo's local directories WowWorks - Official state, city, and county sites along with numerous community guides Online yellow pages Top Directories Submit to and consider advertising in city guides, such as DigitalCity.com (which has "local experts" you could contact about your local company) and CitySearch.com. Likewise, every local media (newspaper, TV, radio) now have web sites that usually accept advertising. Better still, you get the benefit of piggybacking on the media's promotion of their own web site every time they give their url to their audience! If you're a local retailer, you should know about sites like citysearch.com which provide users with information about local sales and deals. Contact these sites with your sales information. Include geographic keywords and phrases in your meta tags in addition to your business keywords. For example, if you service the New York City, you'd want to include the words "New York City" but you might also want to include names of popular landmarks and regional attractions. Search out other popular local sites and your local chamber of commerce site and arrange to get a link or advertise on their site. Don't be afraid to ask community page webmasters for their local marketing techniques. Distribute press releases to the local online press. Most local business paper own a corresponding web site and there are regional sites, such as LocalBusiness.com, which allows you to submit press releases for free, or BizJournals.com which gives you contact information for local editors and journalists. OFFLINE Print up flyers on brightly colored paper and distribute them on public bulletin boards most likely to be seen by your target audience (in grocery stores, convenience stores, colleges & universities, health clubs, libraries, community centers, etc.) Don't forget to include your URL in your local phonebook and on all of your office stationery, business cards, vehicles, and anything else visible to the public. Use bumper stickers. Get hats, T-shirts, jackets or other items printed up with your URL on them and wear them around town. Give some of them out to family, friends, business associates and anyone seen by the public on a daily basis. Advertise on local area restaurant placemats. Take advantage of local events. Distribute your flyers, rent a booth or even sponsor a local event. Create a buzz about your web site by creating content that is centered on some local event or news. For example, invite visitors to your site to participate in a poll about a local controversy. Think about working with a local charity. (Check out our marketing tip "Offer Services to Nonprofits" to help you with this decision). Advertise in local periodicals. Newspapers, magazines and anything you can find targeting your local audience. Newspaper features and local radio shows can really boost your site traffic. Look for truly newsworthy events or aspects of your company and then try to tie it in with local events. (Review our past marketing tip "Newspegs-- Getting Attention with the Press"). Hold a contest. Challenge local area businesses, organizations or rival schools to collect the most cans to recycle or any other creative idea you can come up with. Follow the contest and post information about it on your website. If you're thinking that a local business can't benefit from having a presence on the Internet, read David Kline's article, "Forget Global - The Future of the Net is Local".
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